Disc-like record carrier with information track containing control information including disc diameter

ABSTRACT

A disc-like record carrier has a machine-readable information track in which is provided record carrier control information including the actual physical diameter of the carrier.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/558,517 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,962 filed Nov. 16, 1995 to Johannes J. Mons for DISC-LIKE RECORD CARRIER, RECORDING AND/OR READING APPARATUS FOR RECORDING/READING INFORMATION IN THE RECORD CARRIER.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a disc-like record carrier having a predefined diameter on which record carrier control information is recorded.

The invention likewise relates to an information recording and/or reading apparatus comprising a drive means for rotatingly driving a disc-like record carrier, and setting means for setting the apparatus in dependence on control information carried by the record carrier, and which apparatus comprises components whose behaviour depends on the diameter of the record carrier.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A record carrier and apparatus of the type set out in the opening paragraph are known, for example, from EP-A 0.325.329.

In said document an apparatus is described for recording and reading information in an optical record carrier of a writable type. During recording and/or reading, the speed of rotation of the record carrier is controlled in dependence on a measuring signal that is indicative of the linear scanning velocity, at a value at which the linear scanning velocity remains constant. The behaviour of this speed control depends on the diameter of the record carrier. For that matter, the loop gain of the control loop and thus the bandwidth of the control strongly depends on the mass moment of inertia of the disc and thus strongly depends on the diameter of the disc.

It is an object of the invention to provide means which make it possible to utilize record carriers of different diameters, while a detrimental effect of the diameter of the record carrier on the behaviour of the apparatus is counteracted.

According to a first aspect of the invention the record carrier of the type set out in the opening paragraph is characterized in that the control information contains diameter information which is indicative of the diameter.

According to a second aspect of the invention the apparatus of the type set out in the opening paragraph is characterized in that the setting means comprise means for adapting the diameter-dependent behaviour of said components in dependence on the control information.

These measures enable the behaviour of the apparatus to be optimally adapted in a simple manner to the diameter of the record carrier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Further embodiments for a record carrier and an apparatus according to the invention as well as advantages thereof will be further explained hereafter with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment for an apparatus according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 shows a record carrier according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment for a recording and reading apparatus according to the invention. In this drawing Figure the reference character 1 denotes a round disc-like record carrier of a customary type, for example, a magnetic or optical type. A drive motor 2 rotates the record carrier 1 around a point of rotation 20 which substantially coincides with the centre of the record carrier 1. Opposite to the rotating record carrier 1 is arranged a read/write head 3 of a customary type for reading/recording information in the record carrier in a contact-free manner. The head 3 may be an optical head by which information can be recorded or read in an optical record carrier by means of a focused laser beam. The record carrier 1 carries control information which contains diameter information which is indicative of the diameter of the record carrier 1. Preferably, the control information is recorded on a predetermined position on the record carrier as is customary, for example, with so-termed Compact Discs whose control information is recorded in a so-termed lead-in area of the track. By way of illustration, FIG. 2 shows an embodiment for the record carrier 1 on which information is recorded in a helical track 21. The track comprises a so-termed lead-in area 21 a indicated by a dashed line. In the lead-in area 21 a is accommodated the control information. Furthermore, the track 21 contains a program area 21 b in which program information is accommodated. When the record carrier 1 is played back, generally the control information in the lead-in area 21 a is read first. Then, under the control of the control information, the program information in the program area 21 b is read. Needless to observe that the diameter information may also be recorded at different places from that of the control information in the lead-in area on the record carrier 1.

The diameter information may be recorded, for example, in a so-called sub-code, recorded simultaneously with program information in time-multiplex mode.

The record carrier 1 may be of a writable type such as described in EP-A0.397.238 (PHN 12.925). The record carrier described in that document comprises a prearranged track intended for recording, which track presents a periodic track wobbling in radial direction of which the frequency is modulated in accordance with digital control information. The diameter information may then be included in the control information that modulates the frequency of the track wobbling.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 further includes a signal recovery unit 4 of a customary type, which recovers, in response to a signal produced by head 3, the information recorded on a part of the record carrier 1 scanned by the head 3. The information recovered by the unit 4 is fed to a control unit 5.

This control unit comprises control means of a customary type for controlling a search process for searching for information determined by an address or position on the record carrier. For this purpose, the control unit is coupled to a displacement unit 6 for displacing the head 3 in radial direction relative to the record carrier 1.

The search process control per se is widely known and will therefore not be described in detail.

The apparatus further includes a control for controlling the speed of the record carrier 1. This control comprises a unit 7 for deriving a measuring signal that indicates whether the real speed corresponds to a desired speed. Such a measuring signal may be derived in a manner as described, for example, in said document EP-A 0.325.329 in which the derival of a measuring signal is described which signal is indicative of a difference between the real linear velocity at which the record carrier is scanned and the desired linear velocity. If the real linear velocity is lower than the desired linear velocity, this means that the number of revolutions per minute is too low and if the real linear velocity is too high this means that the number of revolutions per minute is too high. It may be useful pointing out that the measuring signal may be derived in a number of ways, for example, by a tachometer or pulse disc coupled to the shaft of the motor.

The measuring signal produced by unit 7 is applied to a control unit 8 of a customary type, for example, a control unit having a control characteristic that is a combination of a proportional, differentiating and integrating action. The control unit 8 derives from the measuring signal a control signal for the motor 2 which rotates the record carrier. This control signal is applied to the motor 2 via an amplifier circuit 9.

The bandwidth of the control loop formed by the elements 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 strongly depends on the loop gain of the control loop. This loop gain is in inverse proportion to the mass moment of inertia of the record carrier 1 relative to the rotation point 20. With equal thickness and composition of the record carrier, this mass moment of inertia is determined substantially completely by the diameter of the record carrier 1. The mass moment of inertia is then proportional to the third power of the diameter of the record carrier.

To adapt the loop gain, the amplifier circuit 9 comprises means known per se for adapting the gain of the amplifier circuit 9. The loop gain in the control loop may be maintained at an optimum level by setting the gain of the amplifier circuit 9 so that the quotient (K/J) of gain (K) and mass moment of inertia (J) is substantially the same for any diameter.

To determine the desired gain (K), the control unit 5 comprises means for searching for the diameter information and subsequently reading same in a customary manner. Subsequently, the control unit 5 derives the value for the gain from the diameter information read and the gain is set to this derived value. The gain may be derived in a great many different ways. For example, it is possible that a memory of the control unit 5 stores the appropriate gain values for different diameters. Alternatively, however, it is possible that the control unit 5 computes the value of the gain in response to the diameter information read.

Hereinbefore, the adaptation of the control of the speed of rotation has been described in dependence on the diameter information. It should be noted, however, that not only the behaviour of the control of the speed of rotation, but also the behaviour of other components in the apparatus may depend on the diameter of the record carrier. For example, the useful work range for displacing the head in radial direction is strongly linked with the diameter of the record carrier. When the displacement of the head 3 in radial direction is controlled, the diameter of the disc may then also be an important parameter. Needless to observe that the adaptation of the control of the displacement of head 3 to the diameter of the record carrier falls within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A disc-like record carrier having an actual physical diameter, the carrier comprising a machine-readable information track in which record carrier control information including the actual physical diameter is provided.
 2. The disc-like record carrier of claim 1, wherein the control information is provided as a modulation pattern of physically detectable properties of the information track.
 3. The disc-like record carrier of claim 2, wherein the modulation pattern of physically detectable properties of the information track presents a track wobbling in a radial direction of the carrier. 